


The Dawn Before The Battle

by Lmj21



Category: Dragon Age Inquisition - Fandom
Genre: F/M, First Time, Romance, Sex, Spoilers for quest 'What Pride Has Wrought'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 09:24:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3114740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lmj21/pseuds/Lmj21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Inquisition has tracked Corypheus to the Arbor Wilds.<br/>Commander Cullen and his Inquisitor need to prepare for the battle to come...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dawn Before The Battle

**Author's Note:**

> This was a hastily written little piece inspired by the beautiful setting of the Arbor Wilds and the far too fleeting glimpse of the commander in the ensuing action.
> 
> The action roughly follows the plot for the main story quest 'What Pride Has Wrought' so light spoilers, but it doesn't quite follow gameplay.
> 
> Fairly new to this so any comments/constructive criticism very welcome.

The mist had settled overnight, the camp seemingly enveloped by a thick, chilly shroud. This could be an advantage, thought Cullen, as he dressed quickly - eager to move undetected on the enemy. Taking care not to wake his soldiers, Cullen trod towards the Inquisitor's tent to share his plan for today's attack. When he reached the tent he hesitated. He did not wish to invade her privacy, although they had grown closer of late, frequently spending long evenings together, stealing chaste kisses, confiding in one another, they were yet to share a bed. The thought of intruding now was troubling although he had to admit it was arousing too. He reasoned that the professional and practical imperative of arriving here was far more important than any imagined offence he might give.

His gloved hand hesitantly brushed aside the tent flap:  
"Hello?" He whispered questioningly before entering. Her scent filled the musky air of the tent, he blushed as he became aware that he was standing motionless just enjoying the illicit feeling of being in her domain. Again, he called out but it was obvious that she was absent. From behind him, a voice upbraided him:  
"Commander."  
"Seeker, I was looking for..." Cassandra smiled as she witnessed his furrowed brow and guilty look. Eventually she took pity on him:  
"The Inquisitor left early, she mentioned scouting opportunities, but she is sure to return soon."  
"Did no-one accompany her, for protection?"  
Once again Cassandra smiled: "She was quite insistent that she should be alone to prepare. And I'm quite sure she can protect herself."  
Cullen's face hardened: "Yes, I'm sure she can." He pushed past Cassandra, a little more roughly than he ought to, escaping to the humid air once again.

The mist had descended further so that now simply walking from tent to tent was hazardous. Strange birdsong hummed in his ears, small areas of glowing amber gave some bearings indicating the camp fires and a few lowered voices suggested that the party was beginning to wake. He decided he had to find her. Firstly, to share the new tactics before the whole camp woke and the advantage would be lost; secondly, despite his mind knowing she was indeed safe and perfectly capable of protecting herself his heart tensed at any suggestion that she may put herself in harm's way again. He shuddered at the memory of Haven, how close they had been to losing her...

He was now lost in dense fog, with every sound heightened. He stalked, sword in hand, ready on the defensive when a beautiful noise reached his ear. At first he thought is must be a bird, and he cocked his head to catch another trill. When the sound reached him again it sounded lower and more melancholy that any songbird, hypnotised he realised the sound was a song. Lilting Dalish words floated to him and, without thinking, his feet led him toward the direction of the sound. As he drew closer the Dalish words became mingled with a bubbling of water. His eyes squinted as the scene took form through the mist.

A tremendous waterfall cascaded into a small, deep pool, moss covered ruins lay around its perimeter. One of two peaceful Halla drank at its edge and the singing continued. As his eyes found the singer he at once felt a thrill of delight and shame for it was the Inquisitor. Her clothes in a neat pile by the bank, her back to him with auburn tendrils flowing. Her singing suggested her ease as she bathed in the elven pool.

They had spoken only once of her Dalish heritage, it was not something he'd ever given much consideration to. He'd learnt long ago that a person's class, race or gender was no indicator of their soul and he was determined not to be misled again. Now, seeing her frolic in this mystical surrounding he felt slightly ashamed to have never considered how important her heritage may be to her. She was so obviously home here.

He shifted his weight to try to make a subtle exit but his movement alerted the Halla who craned their necks in his direction before vanishing. Her singing abruptly stopped and she turned in the water to spy the intruder. Her face was radiant. He could not look away, eyes widening as he noticed how the blue marking which circled her jawline, ran down her neck and tracked the fullness of one of her breasts. He fleetingly imagined tracing his tongue over it before berating himself for the thought and turning around.

His heart was beating fast and he could feel his erection pressing urgently against the tight leather of his trousers. In his youth he'd spent nights in the torment of desire demons and the familiar sensations of lust and shame flooded back to him and for a moment he wondered if he was losing his grip on reality.

"Cullen?" Her voice cut through.  
"Yes...my lady." He cleared his throat, responding without turning. A silence hung in the air, broken only by the gentle lapping of water.  
"I must apologise Inquisitor. The heavy fog struck me as a useful advantage..."  
"So it would seem." She chuckled.  
"No! Not for myself...I, I simply meant the enemy are less familiar with this ground than our soldiers so if we were to move early."  
"My thoughts precisely. I only came here to prepare but the water looked so inviting," She sighed "Cullen, are you going to look?"  
She heard a cough and could guess that his face was becoming adorably red. She ducked down in the water a little to save his blushes. He turned apprehensively, eyes widening as his gaze rested on her milky, freckled shoulders, radiant above clear water , her half submerged form now a tantalising mirage.

"Do you swim?"  
"Actually, it was my favourite pastime as a boy." She noticed that speaking about his past brought warmth to his eyes and he appeared to relax. "Now I imagine I'd sink like a stone."  
"You would in all your armour." Her fingers idly played on the surface of the water as she considered her next words, "Lose it. I won't look." Their eyes met with the challenge and she detected his expression harden into resolve. He'd found some confidence as he began to disrobe, although she'd promised not to look she found herself transfixed as he unlaced his pauldrons and breastplate, slipped his leather gloves off one by one, tugging at the tips with his teeth. She wondered if he was deliberately teasing her with his deliberate, sensuous movements.

Once the armour was gone, the confidence appeared to falter, as he plucked nervously at the hem of his shirt, untucking it from his waistband. Rather than cause him further discomfort, she giggled: "I'm waiting..." before diving below and swimming easily away, under the crashing waterfall and out of sight. He wasted no further time, quickly losing his last few layers, gulping back his anticipation and diving into the cool water. The shock of cold delicious against his burning skin.

She was waiting, gently making circles with her arms when his golden head burst through the other side of the curtain of water, spraying her with water until they were both laughing. Despite their nakedness, the childish joy and sheer freedom that they were indulging cut through the usual formality and tension in their relationship. They played, innocently splashing and dunking, enjoying the rare moment of peace, all the while the fall of water cocooning them from the world.

She raised a scoopful of water to splash at him again but his arm caught her easily and pulled her closer. Their bodies brushed together and he let out a gasp of surprised pleasure. Their eyes locked and she relaxed her arm to his grip slowly lacing her fingers into his. With her free hand she brushed damp curls from his forehead before kissing him lightly. His stubble rubbed deliciously on her damp shin as she slowly pressed her lips more fully to his.

She felt his hands tremble slightly as their lips parted and their tongues tentatively flickered together. Both savouring the new sensations of each other, their hands began to playfully follow running over the goosebumped skin from necks, shoulders, arms, torsos....there was such delightful variation from the smoothness of scars to the soft damp hair. Moments upon moments passed as their hands told all the stories their shy tongues and troubled minds had been unable to. 

A gasp echoed around the space, it was impossible to say who, but it drew them apart for a moment for their eyes to meet again in fierce consent at the inevitable act that would surely follow. She felt a flurry of excitement snake through her as he finally allowed his eyes to trace the blue lines of her clan before quickly bringing hot kisses across the path, changing from light nibbles and his rough tongue, his huge hands steadying her as she arched into his ministrations.

Her hands gripped his shoulders and ran through his gorgeous hair as he moaned longingly against her between kisses. Suddenly she gasped with shock as his head disappeared beneath the water and his tongue continued journeying over her, finding the hot core of her lust and licking hard. Eventually, she tugged his head out of the water: "You'll drown!" She laughed. 

His reply was a deep rumble as his mouth crashed into hers once more. She allowed her legs to float up and cradle his waist, feeling the much needed friction of his rigid erection against her. With a little shyness she rocked against him taking his groans as signs of pleasure and consent. As his large, rough hands held her hips tightly, he managed to pull his mouth away for a moment to ask: "Are you sure? I mean this is hardly private and...ah!" His thoughts lost as she pressed her heat against him with urgency,

"Cullen, this is perfect." He blessed her with one of his rare, beautiful smiles before bringing his lips to her's once again, showering her beautiful face with light kisses.  
"Maker, you are perfect." He breathed between kisses. A heat was building within her and though she loved his gentle attentions she found a frustration rising in her that needed to be sated.

Before thinking her actions through, her hand was between them and had found his large cock. Hot and hard beneath the water, he cried out as she took hold of him and worked her hands over his shaft. He bit and sucked at her lower lip and she could feel him throbbing in her hand. He followed her lead and brought his right hand over her sex slowly making circles with his palm to begin with before rippling his fingers over her tight folds, feeling the sticky moisture even in the water.

"Cullen." Was all she needed to breath as a request, as an exclamation as he slid one finger inside her. He groaned in delights as he watched her eyes flutter and felt the warmth. He eagerly added another finger slowly curling them, finding a bundle of nerves that made her back arch and her fingers tighten around his pulsing cock. He had to have her now.

He pushed his fingers in deeply once more before sliding them out, over her pulsing clit and up her body, eventually curving around her neck pulling her to him for a deep kiss, his tongue mimicking the curving of his fingers as he took his cock in his other hand, felt her raising her hips expectantly and he held the head just against her swollen entrance. 

A moment of still, intense focus gripped them as they slowly began to consummate their relationship. She opened herself to him, arms gripping his neck as the delicious thickness of him began to fill her. She tensed and rolled, easing him in, uncertain as to whether she could handle all of him. He too could feel her tension and just held her, brushing hair from her face, kissing her lightly.

"Alright, my love?" He whispered, the sight of his deep, caring eyes melted any nerves remaining and her body softened allowing him to enter her completely. They both sighed and moaned at the exquisite fullness of the moment before their bodies' instincts led them along.

He took greedy handfuls of flesh as he began to thrust, slowly at first but deeply all the same, screwing right into her as her own hips rolled against him rubbing her clitoris determinedly against him. His noises surprised her as moans, kisses and whispered words (possibly prayers even) slipped from her lover's mouth between biting and kissing at her neck and collarbone. She used her tongue to nuzzle at his neck and ear their bodies charged together now taken by a natural, inevitable rhythm. She felt a heat build inside her and arched slightly, trying to pursue the feeling, she eased her torso away from his. Partly to admire his perfect, muscled form and partly to allow him deeper and deeper thrusts, his arms snaked around her back to support her as the leant away completely stretched out on the surface of the water. The cool ripples contrasting wickedly with her burning flesh. As she lay back, she felt him hit new angles and depths inside like he'd unravelled a secret. She was lost now...

"Oh, Cullen I'm..." She didn't need to finish the sentence as her body tightened around him, writhing and bucking with waves of pleasure. He stared at the wonder of this beautiful, exotic creature completely submitting to him. For a flash of a second he thought he might be dreaming or that Corypheus had sent a desire demon but he was too far gone to care as her screaming urged him to drive hard and deep until her spasming walls pulled him into his own orgasm. He drew her up into his arms to consume her mouth again as he flooded inside of her, knees buckling as their moment of bliss sunk beneath the water.

They held each other kissing under the surface for a moment before breaking through, the shock of cool air making them gasp and laugh as the slipped apart easily. Their hands still entwined.

For seconds they looked at each other with love, with respect, with new knowledge before Cullen broke the stillness by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him, kissing her on her forehead.

"If nothing else, I can die a happy man today."  
She pinched his arm: "Don't you dare." He silenced her again with his tongue.

===============

If anyone noticed when the Inquisitor and Commander returned to camp, soaking wet they didn't comment. When the soldiers and companions later discussed the day's victory, they did however comment on the determination and renewed vigour of their commander. 

When the Inquisitor led her party through the wilds later that day, her companions were sure that as she'd passed a waterfall she'd paused to retrieve some fabric from the grass. 

And Varric could have sworn that when they passed Cullen in them midst of battle and he'd called out:

"Go on, I'm fine!" The inquisitor had winked at him before pressing on to slice into a red Templar about to attack her commander.


End file.
